News-Press DOUGLAS/CASTLE ROCK 3.7.13
Castle Rock
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 10, Issue 50
March 7, 2013
Free
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcastlerocknews.com
Court approves voucher program Opponents vow to continue their effort By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com
Taylor Muckel, a fifth-grader at Timber Trail Elementary School, won the Elementary Division in the 2013 Stars of Tomorrow talent show. Courtesy photo
Douglas County’s stars shine Kiwanis Club competition showcases talent
2013 STARS OF TOMORROW WINNERS Elementary School Division Taylor Muckel, fifth grade, Timber Trail Elementary; awarded $500 Middle School Division Loren Hardy, Jenna Hardy and Ali LeBlanc, seventh grade, Mesa Middle School; $750 High School Division Andriy Sovetov, junior, Chaparral High School; $1,200. Best of Show Katelyn Pyfer, senior, Douglas County High School; $1,800.
By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews. com The Lone Tree Arts Center proved a good fit for the 2013 Stars of Tomorrow talent show. Nearly 30 Douglas County students competed for more than $4,000 in scholarships from the Kiwanis Clubs of Castle Rock and Douglas County. The students were selected from a field of Douglas County students for the club’s ninth show. It was the first time the event was at the Lone Tree Arts Center, where competitors let down their hair as they prepared to go on stage, said Ron Claussen, Kiwanis spokesman.
Competitors in the 2013 Stars of Tomorrow talent show unwind before the March 2 competition with a game of Twister. Courtesy photo “Usually they don’t really talk to each other while they’re waiting for the competition to begin,” Claussen said. “But this time they were backstage playing games, joking around and
having a great time. The arts center just did a great job with everything.” The show is the first stop for Douglas County High School senior Katelyn Pyfer, who won
Best of Show and a spot at the district competition. Pyfer performed a piano recital, accompanied on guitar by her brother Mathew Pyfer. She will advance from the Kiwanis Clubs of Colorado District Stars of Tomorrow to compete against statewide Stars of Tomorrow winners for additional scholarship money.
The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld Douglas County’s pilot school voucher program, overturning a 2011 Denver District Court ruling. The plaintiffs who set out to stop the voucher program say they’ll appeal the case to the Colorado Supreme Court. “I think it’s safe to say the final decision will be made by the Colorado Supreme Court,” said school board President John Carson, who said the program would not start until “we’ve got clearance from the legal system. It’s not clear exactly when that will be yet.” Two members of the three-judge appeals-court panel agreed in the Feb. 28 decision to uphold the voucher plan, with a third judge dissenting. “We conclude that plaintiffs do not have standing to seek redress for a claimed violation of (Colorado’s school finance law), and that the (Choice Scholarship Program) does not violate any of the constitutional provisions on which plaintiffs rely,” the ruling said. “Therefore, we reverse the district court’s judgment and remand the case for entry of judgment in defendants’ favor.” Carson said he’s cautiously optimistic. “We’re just excited we’ve gotten a real clear statement from some esteemed judges in the state that the program is in fact constitutional,” he said. “That’s a huge stamp of approval. We feel this decision puts us in a real good state going forward.” Plaintiff Jamie LaRue, director of Douglas County Libraries, sees it differently. “Now the score card stands that two judges think it’s constitutional and two judges think it’s unconstitutional,” he said. “Either way, it was going to the Supreme Court.” The 2011 pilot program, which the school district named the Choice Scholarship Program, granted a limited number of Douglas County students state school funding to use at private schools, most of Voucher continues on Page 10
Murray parts with party by supporting civil-unions bill Lawmaker among two Republicans to back SB11 By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com State Rep. Carole Murray says she doesn’t know if what she did on Feb. 28 will result in a primary challenge when she’s up for re-election next year, but she does have a message for anyone who might decide to run against her. “Bring it on, I guess,” Murray said in a
recent interview with Colorado Community Media. The Republican from Castle Rock — who describes her conservative beliefs as being “right of Attila the Hun” — caught many by surprise when she Murray voted for a civil unions bill, following a lengthy committee hearing in the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 11 — which would grant gay couples in Colorado rights that are similar to marriage — passed the House Judiciary
Committee, and now continues through the House. It already has passed the Senate. Murray, who is a devout Catholic, spoke through tears as she read a statement to fellow committee members, in which she explained her yes vote. “It’s not for me to judge others, but to leave that up to God,” she said. “While on Earth, Jesus asked us to love one another. In this spirit, I’ll be a yes vote on this bill.” Murray also said during the hearing that her conservative beliefs in “personal liberty” and “equality” are found in this legislation. She said that gay couples who are seeking to enter into civil unions are taking
on a “personal responsibility” that also is a conservative belief. “And, in my opinion, there’s not enough of that in our society today,” she said. Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, who also serves on the Judiciary Committee, said afterward that he had “no idea whatsoever” that Murray was planning on voting for the bill. “I sat there as she was talking and I thought to myself, ‘Wow, she’s talking as if she’s gonna vote yes,’ ” Salazar said. “Then, she kept going and I thought, ‘Oh my God, she is going to be a yes.’ Murray continues on Page 10